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Indiana squandered a 27-point lead on the road at Minnesota, but eventually came out victorious 84-79.

Rob Phinisee, Trey Galloway, and Khristian Lander had missed the past two games. Phinisee played for the first time in seven games. Galloway did not dress, and Lander dressed but did not play.

Offense was flowing out of the gates for both squads. Indiana hit seven of their first 10 attempts but Minnesota knocked down four of their first eight shots as well. Xavier Johnson continued his great play from the last game by tallying eight points and two assists before the first media timeout.

Minnesota consistently dared Johnson to shoot by going under screens and giving him all the time in the world to get a shot off. While some teams have benefitted from this strategy in the past, Johnson made the Golden Gophers pay. He knocked down four threes and had 16 points in the first half alone.

Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson didn't get many touches, but it didn't matter. The two were outscored 8-to-32 in the first half by the rest of the roster -- a rarity for a team that is usually carried by their frontcourt.

Even though Minnesota offered very little resistance to the Hoosiers, Indiana repaid the favor too often and allowed them to hang around. The Gophers hit five threes and stopped Indiana's runs whenever it felt like the lead was about to rapidly expand. The Hoosiers held a 40-33 lead heading into halftime.

Minnesota's main vice is their lack of depth, and that weakness showed in the second half. Fatigue began to show in the second half via short misses from three. The Gophers came out of the half ice cold from three.

The misfires from three paved the way for an 8-0 Indiana run to extend the lead to 53-36. The lead would balloon up to 27, but Minnesota did not go quietly. Indiana began to get comfortable with their large lead and became extremely sloppy. Seven quick turnovers allowed Minnesota to go on a 21-4 run over a six-minute stretch and cut the lead to single digits.

Mike Woodson called timeout during the start of Minnesota's run but elected to let them play through the adversity the rest of the way. Payton Willis and company hit some ridiculous shots to cut the lead to just three with six seconds left on the clock. Johnson was fouled and knocked down two clutch free throws to give Indiana the win.

Johnson was Indiana's best player for the second-straight game. His 24 points and eight assists led the team, and he oozed confidence all night. Jackson-Davis had 14 points on just seven attempts, and Jordan Geronimo added 10 off the bench.

Minnesota got contributions from a variety of its core players. Payton Willis led the team with 28 points, including some extremely difficult clutch shots. Jamison Battle added 13, and E.J. Stephens scored 14 as well.

For the first time in a very long time, the scoring column was dominated by players not named Trayce Jackson-Davis or Race Thompson. The Hoosiers' supporting cast stepped up in a major way and hit outside shots in a way they hadn't in months.

Indiana played their offense counter to much of their strategy earlier this season. The ball was skipping along the perimeter and the post players only got touches in the flow of the offense. In addition to being more aesthetically pleasing, this style resulted in more open outside shots and an influx of makes.

However, that fantastic first 32 minutes of basketball was nearly negated by the last eight minutes. The first 75% of the game cannot be forgotten, but it will be dramatically overshadowed by a near colossal collapse down the stretch. Still, wins are what Indiana needs right now, and they get to add this game to the "W" column, no matter the context.

Now on a two-game win streak, Indiana will take on a Rutgers at team at home Wednesday that is also fighting for its NCAA Tournament life.

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